Cleveland, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference has extended the contract of Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher for three additional years through the 2019-20 academic year. Steinbrecher began as MAC Commissioner in May of 2009 and this marks his second contract extension as the conference presidents unanimously rewarded Steinbrecher with another three-year contract extension.“I am very appreciative to the Council of Presidents and the confidence they have placed in me during my years as Commissioner of the Mid-American Conference. We share the same vision, and I look forward to continuing to lead this conference, our members and our students,” said Steinbrecher.

During his term as MAC Commissioner, Steinbrecher has brought long-term security for the Conference through partnership in the new College Football Playoff, national television rights deals, greatly increased national television exposure, expanded bowl opportunities, stabilized conference membership and enhanced neutral site conference championships with long-term agreements for football and men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.(CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE . . . )

Dr. Jon Steinbrecher

“The Mid-American Conference Council of Presidents is very pleased that Dr. Jon Steinbrecher will continue as our conference commissioner with this extension,” said Western Michigan University President Dr. John M. Dunn, who chairs the MAC Council of Presidents. “He has performed extremely well and has been very efficient, specifically in the area of resource enhancement and management for all of our Conference Athletic Departments. "Ultimately, he has enhanced the national profile of the Mid-American Conference, its programs and students. His national profile is very high as a result of his superior leadership, innovation and his positioning of the conference office as a service organization for member universities. We look forward to continued growth under his leadership.”Last summer, Steinbrecher negotiated a historic 13-year rights agreement with ESPN that was the largest and most extensive agreement in the history of the conference. In addition, Steinbrecher recently announced a four-year sublicensing partnership with CBS Sports Network to provide additional national exposure for football and basketball.This past football season the MAC celebrated, for the first time in fonference history, partnerships with five guaranteed bowls. Steinbrecher was instrumental in the creation of the Raycom Media Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.), Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, Fla.) and the Popeye’s Bahamas Bowl (Nassau, Bahamas). The MAC participated in the inaugural game for each bowl, in addition to bowl partners GoDaddy Bowl (Mobile, Ala.) and Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Ida.).These bowl agreements provide the MAC the opportunity to build on relationships with multiple bowl partners, expand national television exposure and broaden geographical opportunities to perform against other FBS conferences. The MAC bowl partners are secured through the 2019 football season.

Steinbrecher has been very active on a national basis as well. He was appointed to the NCAA College Football Oversight Committee, while Chairing the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, the College Football Playoff Officiating Board of Managers and the National Letter of Intent Policy and Review Committee.The MAC has been an example of stability within college athletic membership led by Steinbrecher. The MAC has maintained full membership with 12 universities and has been the only FBS conference in the last decade without change within its full membership.Within the last six months, Steinbrecher has also secured long-term agreements for the Marathon MAC Football Championship game and MAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. In December, Steinbrecher announced a four-year contract extension with Ford Field in Detroit to host the Marathon MAC Football Championship through the 2019 season. Steinbrecher followed in February with a six-year contract extension with Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland to serve as the host site for the MAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament through the 2023 season. This secures the MAC and the Q as the second longest running neutral site men’s tournament in the nation dating back to 2000.

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Mike Smith saw his first MAC footb﻿a﻿ll action as a nine-year-old while hanging onto the flagpole of a nearby baseball stadium. The view got better after he discovered he could get in free at halftime. Decades later, he can usually be found either on press row or along the sidelines.Mike has won awards for both his stories and pictures during his time in journalism. Combining his own skills with those of other writers and photographers, along with conference and school resources, he constantly works to provide an enjoyable MAC product.

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